Three in the Sun, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Three in the Sun, 2017, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on archival board, 7" x 5"

When the sun comes out in the rainy season, there's high humidity and it's very hot.  Still, sunshine is always welcome.  It makes for Everglades landscapes with strong value definitions in the palms.   

Back in the Glades daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Back in the Glades, 2017, Jo-Ann Sanborn

Acrylic on canvas, 5" x7"

I've re-worked the "en plain aire"  tips page,  but have found mosquitoes to be a huge deterrent to painting outside right now.The invasion of the salt marsh variety is the worst I can remember. They are fierce all day, even when there's a breeze!  Apparently, they don't carry Zika! 

Art shows, and Friends in a Field, Daily Painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Friends in a Field, 2015, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5" x 7"

Although it's a quite time of year on the island, there two new art exhibitions  going on that you might want to know about.   The Marco Island Center for the Arts is having a show called "Electric Summer Nights".  The reception will be held on Tuesday, August 11 at 5:30. Stop in to see our local artists interpretation of this interesting theme.

Another exhibition is one of 2-D and 3-D art at the Marco Island Historical Sociery.  This one includes quite a mix of media, and again supports local artists.The reception will be held Wednesday, August, 12 at 5:00 p.m.

Both can be viewed through August.  I don't have any work in either, but encourage you to enjoy each one.  Let me know your thoughts about them!

Summer Morning, by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Summer Morning, 2015, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5"x7

Beach Babies, 2014, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5"x7"

 

 

Fall is creeping up on us, especially on an early morning walk.  We've had such a hot summer, the hint of a change in temp and humidity is welcome.  Today's painting was inspired by a day last week when the palms had the wind in their hair.

Flirting with a Breeze - March Madness

Flirting with a Breeze, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 16x20



THE WHITE RABBIT'S VERSES
by: Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)

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HEY told me you had been to her,

And mentioned me to him;

She gave me a good character,

But said I could not swim.

 

He sent them word I had not gone.

(We know it to be true.)

If she should push the matter on,

What would become of you?

 

I gave her one, they gave him two,

You gave us three or more;

They all returned from him to you,

Though they were mine before.

 

If I or she should chance to be

Involved in this affair,

He trusts to you to set them free,

Exactly as we were.

 

My notion was that you had been

(Before she had this fit)

An obstacle that came between

Him and ourselves and it.

 

Don't let him know she liked them best,

For this must ever be

A secret, kept from all the rest,

Between yourself and me.

"The White Rabbit's Verses" is reprinted from The Hunting of the Snark and Other Poems and Verses. Lewis Carroll. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1903.

Read more at http://www.poetry-archive.com/c/the_white_rabbits_verses.html#fmS0OI63LbgJ9t8f.99

THE WHITE RABBIT'S VERSES
by: Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)

Share12 Tweet0 Share0 Share760

HEY told me you had been to her,

And mentioned me to him;

She gave me a good character,

But said I could not swim.

 

He sent them word I had not gone.

(We know it to be true.)

If she should push the matter on,

What would become of you?

 

I gave her one, they gave him two,

You gave us three or more;

They all returned from him to you,

Though they were mine before.

 

If I or she should chance to be

Involved in this affair,

He trusts to you to set them free,

Exactly as we were.

 

My notion was that you had been

(Before she had this fit)

An obstacle that came between

Him and ourselves and it.

 

Don't let him know she liked them best,

For this must ever be

A secret, kept from all the rest,

Between yourself and me.

"The White Rabbit's Verses" is reprinted from The Hunting of the Snark and Other Poems and Verses. Lewis Carroll. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1903.

Read more at http://www.poetry-archive.com/c/the_white_rabbits_verses.html#fmS0OI63LbgJ9t8f.99

March Madness!

The number of visitors to the island continues to grow, many coming from the frozen northlands for a bit of sunshine and greenery after a brutal winter in much of the country. It's fun to make new friends and hear their stories.Talk on Marco Island is all about being named the number ONE island to visit in the country, so we are gearing up for even more visitors. Talk about March Madness!

AskArt!
Many thanks and much gratitude to Diana Williams, a fine art appraiser who initiated an artist listing for me on AskArt--The Artist's Blue Book , after visiting my studio last month. There are thousands of artists listed, with information about their lives and work, I'm delighted to be one of them. There's a discussion board on this site allowing additional notices of interest and facts about listed artists. You can see my listing here . Buying or selling of paintings can be done in a separate section of the site.

Additional Hours
My studio/gallery is opened on most Tuesdays, thanks to Holly and Cece, who have been a great help. My occasional studio assistant, Nicholas, helps me frame and ship, and also climbs the high ladder to change light bulbs and focus them on the paintings--a never-ending challenge, since I move things around all the time. Their help allows me to focus more on painting, which I'd much rather do. We'll probably keep to this schedule through April.

Upcoming Events
March 20, 4-5:30 pm. Thursday, is another of my Tea with the Artist - We'll celebrate Spring! As before, we will have tea, and some goodies, and yes, PRIZES. Bring a photo of yourself with one of my paintings to be eligible to win!

Visit my website! 

Winter Morning, and some kids Art, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Winter Morning, 2014, Jo-Ann Sanborn

oil on canvas, 5"x7"

 

Chillin'?  A rude joke when the temperatures are hovering around zero and just the thought of a wind chill gives goose bumps.  What ever happened to January thaw? 

 

My sweet little niece sent me a wonderful snowman, just in case there wasn't enough snow in Florida for me to make my own.  He's a real cutie, just like Elizabeth! 

 

 

My granddaughter, a little older, is also pretty sure it doesn't snow on Marco.  She also knows it's the dry season, but sent me this umbrella just in case. 

 

 

  I was delighted to receive both piece and will treasure them.  Thanks, kids!  

 

Summer Blaze daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Summer Blaze, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

oil on board, 5"x7"

 

Underpainting and overpainting built up to create a splash of striking color beneath the texture of the palms in this small daily painting, Summer Blaze. 

 

In this one, some cool jazz on the radio in the studio encouraged some warm colors and a bit of dancing brush..... 

 

My September Newsletter contains an invitation just for you.  You can read it here.   

Two of Us, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Two of Us, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

oil on canvas, 7"x5"

 

 

What do you see when you see the Two of Us?  Two palm trees by the water? 

 

You and your best friend? 

 

You and your husband, or lover? 

 

You and a dear sister or brother? 

 

Your two children? 

 

Duo, couple, pair, match, deuce, doublet, brace.  Bet you can think up some more! 

Pottery Studio Visit, and Shady Grove, painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Shady Grove, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 24x36

 

 

This past Saturday I spent part of the day at Rinny Ryan's studio.  Rinny has a fabulous location, way, way out in a shady grove on Everglades Boulevard in Golden Gate.  It's tricky to find it among the winding dirt roads, but well worth the trip. I went on Saturday because of an invitation to a "Kiln Opening," the first of the season for back-from-the-north prolific potter. 

 

Pottery is displayed everywhere.  There are shelves and tables full of beautiful work.  By the time I got there the kiln had been open.  Rinny was displaying her new work, and some innovative new glazes rich with sensuous color.  Im not an artist, she insists, but a craftsman.  She shares her ideas easily, and enjoys teaching.    

 

I'm not a potter, in fact have never made a pot.  But pottery, particularly functional pottery, has a special place in my heart.  I love the idea of clay and hands and fire coming together to make useful things, and that people have been using these methods to make the things we use in our daily life for centuries.  Each piece has a human touch and an artist's touch. 

 

My coffee mug comes from a potter, my mixing bowls and much of my ovenware come from the hands of someone who cared about it's making.  Soup at my house is served in a handmade bowl, and I eat my dinner on a handmade plate.  Each piece brings me joy as I use it, and beauty to my kitchen and home. 

 

Clay artists Annabelle Johnson, Rinny Ryan, and Richard Rosen in Rinnny's Studio

 

The event was supported by other well know potters.  Annabelle Johnson uses images of our natural work to enhance her work.  You can find her at the Marco Island Farmer's market from October to April. Clay artist Richard Rosen's beautifully colored decorative pieces enhance any home.  Contact him in his studio to see what shows he's doing this year.  And you can find Rinny's work at ArtCrafter shows in Naples, the 2nd Saturdays from October through April in Cambier Park.

 

Since the event took place near the Picayune State Forest, I saw some of your tax dollars at work restoring Everglades flow.   Does this amazing floating machine have a name?  It was scooping out an invasive vine that was clogging the canal.  It was fun to watch and I wish I had thought to take a video!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abundance, and Off Rt. 27 by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Off Rt. 27, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

oil on board, 5"x7"

 

 

 

It's the doldrums of summer, when the ever present heat and rain really start to get to some of us.  Every morning when you open the door to the outside you gasp for breath as a blast of humidity-laden air fills your lungs.  Even though umbrellas are rarely used by those of us who live here, they are kept close at hand for the torrential downpours the beat the houses and the landscape and flow generously through the gutters.  

 

The water level is high, and the animals and plants of the Everglades rejoice as nature brings them the bounty of summer.  Frogs and fish are abundant and the wading birds and the little ground owls are growing fat. 

 

The light is fabulous, and makes the landscape come alive with color.  And if you're lucky, you'll catch a breeze under an awning or a palm, and at the end of a day see a magnificent sunset, reminding you how wonderful it is to live here.

Fakahatchee Summer, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Fakahatchee Summer, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

oil on board, 8"x8"

The Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve is a very special place.  The best description of the Fakahatchee is a linear swamp forest, almost twenty miles long and five miles wide, with a high tree canopy of royal palms and cypress trees.  Orchids and bromeliads are in abundance, with 44 native orchids and 14 native bromeliad species. It is a haven for wildlife, including birds, both resident and migratory. 

Much ecological damage was done to the Fakahatchee Strand in the past by clear-cut logging, road building and drainage.  However, the area had recovered remarkably well, and there are high hopes for its continued recovery as part of the Everglades Restoration. 

It is a fairly intact and functional natural system with a number of different habitats.  It's one of nature's quiet places, a place that reveals secrets slowly.  You can visit it by walking the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk, or driving Jane's Scenic Drive. 

You do need to wear your mosquito protection this time of year, and if they are too bad, just move on a little and you'll find they are  no problem. 

Carnivale! Painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Carnivale! 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 30x15

 

When I do a commission, I sometimes do two paintings and let the client pick which one they like best.  This is the first, and below is the second. 

 

Celebration, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 30"x15"

 

My client wanted a painting similar to one I had done a while ago and sold, but in a different size and color way.  By doing two I'm more likely to present a painting they'll really love.   In addition it gives me a piece to have in inventory.  Since all of my work is original, each painting has characteristics that are unique.  And my method of painting in many small layers ensures that each painting will retain individual characteristics even if the subject is the same. 

Which one do you like?  I hope to be able to tell you what the client picked very soon. 

Gathering, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Gathering, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5"x7"

 

 

Here's a little gathering of Everglades palms.  When I see a group like this, not really touching but still making a related group, I wonder about how they come to survive in this location.  The palms can only survive where the nutrient level of the soil allows it.  Why is there enough just right here?  If I were a scientist it would make an interesting study to learn more about the soils just under different groups.   

 

You have probably been at a lot of gatherings in the last few weeks.  It's something we do more during the holidays.  It's a great time for entertaining, and including friends who you might not see all the time.  Parties are fun, as long as there's not too many and they become an obligation.

 

I've been staying pretty close to the studio myself.  Painting has always been my outlet and continues to sustain me, and the new studio gallery keeps me busy. 

 

If you don't get my December newsletter, you can see it here.  Sorry if you received it addressed to "dear contact name"  rather than to your very dear self.  It was a newsletter provider glitch that happens without warning.  

Island Breeze, painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Island Breeze, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 30x30

Today's painting, Island Breeze, was started way back in August when we had that little hurricane flurry long before Sandy.  It's been on my website for about a week, and I just realized I hadn't shown it here yet. 

With getting the new studio ready and preparing for the Grand Opening, both the weather and my activity level changed dramatically, and so did the painting. 

When I started this painting, these three palms trees were moving and blowing in a pretty stiff wind.  Today, they are barely swaying in the light breeze in an almost idyllic view.  

Could the painting have morphed as a reflextion of my own activites, from overly busy to now settled into the new studio? 



Rock Star, Inside or Out? Daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Rock Star, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5x7

One of the questions I’m most often asked is “did you paint this outside, or in the studio?” My answer more often now than in the past is that I painted inside. Years of time were spent painting outside a couple of times a week. I still visit the Everglades every chance I get, and usually take a number of photos to work from.

These photos are not carefully composed to ensure I get every detail, but casually taken to remind me of what I saw. It could be the way the light hit a particular feature of the landscape or perhaps the way a palm frond thrusts up into the sky. In any case, a glace will transport me back to the time and place and I’m ready to begin.

You can’t learn to paint landscapes inside. I harp on this theme often, since I teach a landscape class inside. You must get outside in order to see the relationships of time, space and color for yourself. All of the lessons I give inside can prime you, and help you, but you must study the natural world from observation to learn to paint the landscape well.

When I’m outside, my paintings are more responsive and immediate as I react to the reality of the wind, sun, light, and foliage. More choices are in my face, and I must work quickly and loosely to capture the scene. 

As a more mature artist, I find that studio time allows me to be more reflective and thoughtful. My paintings delve deeper into the well of knowledge I’m still acquiring. I can make and change choices of features, color, light and time of day.

Is one better than the other? I don’t think so. I’ve come to believe that working both inside and outside helps me to see better, think better, and develop more deeply as an artist.

Art Class, Palm trees and Painting

Two Palms

Today’s palm tree painting was started as a demo in the Landscape Class lesson on Trees. They were done quickly in order to demonstrate in response to questions, but I like what was happening and the painting may have potential. 

Each student had taken a photo of a tree or some trees, and worked on painting from photos. We talked about the character of trees, the way light works on them and through them, and how the same rules of atmospheric progression apply. We often found ourselves looking at the lush foliage outside the window to help us define a concept or illustrate a point.

Here’s a rather poor photograph of the class’s excellent results on our water day!

I love teaching, and will post a schedule for my classes on my website by September for those of you who want to plan ahead. I’m also working on some terrific workshops by some really great artists for the Art League next season. Keep in touch!

Children, apologies, and Playmates, painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Playmates, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on canvas, 40"x48"

Don't these palms look like they are having such a good time together? They have probably know each other since birth, and by now they've probably been through a lot together.

They remind me of my old neighborhood on "the point." As a child kids of all ages would get together outside and play all summer long. In my neighborhood, the older kids would look out for the younger, and in every game there's be a place for everyone, with teams picked to make it "fair." The best two players were never on the same team, same for the youngest two.

This group of palms brings back fond memories of that time. Playing in a neighborhood group without the benefit of overseeing grownups teaches you a lot. If you want to have any fun, you have to learn to get along. You're not always the best-loved daughter, (I was only best-loved daughter until my little sister came along anyway) so you'd better work on skills for getting along with others.

You learn that nobody likes a sissy, or a cry-baby. You learn quickly that you'd better hold on really tight to the spin-around or you'd fall off, that you were a "chicken" if you didn't go up the top of the slide, and that if you put your fingers under the see-saw you'd end up going home crying.

You also learn that if you make a mistake, you'd better learn to apologize. I"m still working on some of those skills, and oh, that's hard! I had to apologize a couple of times this month. I hope my apologies were accepted, because after careful consideration, they came from the heart.

Playmates is a painting that's been rolled up for a while, and just stretched back out and finished. It makes me happy, how about you?

Care and feeding of your Muse, Evening Song daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Evening Song

acrylic on board, 5"x7"

I spent a lovely hour in a garden by the water last evening, with a little breeze and a friend, restorative and peaceful. It got me thinking about the care and feeding of my muse, needing attention after last months computer woes.

My muse is the Everglades, that vast, wet, humid, green and very unique bit of our still lovely planet. The Everglades have a defined role in the health of our world. Rains come in the summer. Multiple, heavy, soaking rains that saturate the ground, fill the marshes, lakes, and sloughs, and cover the ground in a shallow moving river. The rain brings renewed life to the region, starting a cycle of life that nurtures the estuaries and beyond.

The rains feed the life forms that love both fresh and brackish water, like the fringes of mangroves lining the shoreline. Fish flourish in this mix, and the young feed protected among the roots of the mangroves fringes, and grow to provide food for many species, including humans. Both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean benefit from this bounty of life.

As a muse, the Everglades wetlands and uplands provide me with endless artistic inspiration and exploration. On every visit I see something new and special. It may be the way the light hits a particular waterway, or the way a cloud teases the tops of the trees. Sometimes it's one of the elusive animals that delights me. My muse gives me a lot, and as a result, I want to do it justice.

To help sustain my muse, I've joined a few of the Everglades support groups. I've given donations of both paintings and financial support. In my studio I talk with people about the value of the land and often give visitors a map so they can go and see for themselves.

But most of all I painting the Everglades, almost exclusively. I paint them because exploring the strong forms, bold shapes and fantastic light interests me. My highest compliment is when someone tells me that I've opened their eyes to the beauty of the Everglades landscape. Whether working on site or in the studio, portraying my muse is a joy.

What's your muse, and how do you care for it?

Looking Time, Morning in Spring daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Morning in Spring
acrylic on board, 5"x7"

When I think a painting is complete, I often leave it against the wall in the studio for a while. I'll look at it when I pass by, and see it in a different way than when it's still on the easel. Sometimes some part of the painting might need a little correction, a change in value or in line. Occasionally the looking time will mean major changes to ensure a quality piece. I'll groan and get to work.

With daily paintings, some days there's no time for that important "looking time." If you look just behind the tree at the dark green in today's Everglades painting, you'll see that the value is a little too dark and the edge a little to hard for the rest of the painting.

It's important to do the very best I can with each painting. I know it's important to you, too, so once I see something to improve a painting, I'll get to work on it's correction. Groan!